Method of sewing binding tape to pile fabric



Aug. 16, 1960 R. D. M FADDIN METHOD OF SEWING BINDING TAPE TO FILE FABRIC 2 Sheets-Sheet -1 Filed Dec. 2, 1958 mvzm'on: RAY D. McFADDI N ATTY.

Aug. 16, 1960 R. D. MFADD|N METHOD OF SEWING BINDING TAPE TO FILE FABRIC 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 2, 1958 mvsuroni I I RAY D. McFADDlN United States Patent METHOD OF SEWING BINDING TAPE TO PILE FABRIC Ray D. McFaddin, Glasgow, Va., assignor to James Lees and Sons Company, Bridgeport, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 2, 1958, Ser. No. 777,766

4 Claims. (Cl. 112-267) This invention relates to an improved method of applying a binding tape to the edge of pile fabrics such as rugs and soft floor coverings.

For many years it has been customary to sew a fabric tape to the cut ends of a pile fabric and particularly a floor covering such as an area rug. Furthermore, in the carpet industry it is customary to supply samples of various fabrics to dealers, rug salesmen, etc. which may be taped along all four edges. In the case of'relatively high pile fabrics, a serious disadvantage has been encountered in that the sewing machine which applies this fabric tape often seriously crushes or distorts the pile to such an extent that a blemish is formed opposite the blind stitches. In some instances this noticeable line eventually disappears, but in the case of samples which are displayed for the purpose of inducing the purchase of carpets, it is undesirable to exhibit a fabric which appears to have some defect or blemish.

The present invention has for its primary object, therefore, the provision of a protective sheet or element which may be applied to the pile surface of the fabric while it is being stitched in such a manner that the pile is not crushed or lined even for a relatively short period of time.

A further object of the invention is to provide an endless tape or band which runs between the presser foot on the blind stitch sewing machine and the pile surface of a fabric being stitched, thus protecting the pile surface.

Further objects will be apparent from the specification and drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective showing a protective tape or strip applied to a deep pile fabric prior to the final sewing of the binding tape,

Fig. 2 is a perspective showing the binding tape after sewing and before removal of the protective strip,

Fig. 3 is a top view showing portions of the sewing machine which applies the final stitching to the binding tape,

Fig. 4 is a side view of the showing of Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detail as seen at 5-5 of Fig. 3,

Fig. 6 shows the apparatus of Fig. 5 in a moved position, and

Fig. 7 is a view generally similar to Fig. 4 showing a view of a modified form of the invention.

A pile fabric 10 which ordinarily comprises a backing 11 and a pile surface 12 either woven, tufted, or otherwise attached to the backing is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 with a fabric tape or edge binder 13 applied to an edge of fabric 10 in accordance with conventional practice. A machine for sewing the blind stitches that bind one edge of these fabric tapes to carpets is well known in the art and is sold under the name of Lewis Lock Stitch Machine. The first step in applying the tape is to stitch it along one edge as shown at 15 in Fig. 3. The tape is then folded under the backing 11 as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and a final row of stitches 16 is applied by means of a curved needle or blind sewing machine, the important parts of which are illustratedin Figs. 36.- The oscillating presser-foot 17 on this blind stitch machine is mountedon a shaft 18 and extends upwardly through a backing plate 19 to compress the fabric 10 and cause it to bulge upwardly as shown in 'Fig. 6 so that the curved needle 20 carries the thread 21 through the raised portion of the backing 11 to secure the binding tape 13 thereto and form stitches 16. It will be understood that the showing of Figure-6 has been purposely distorted since the relative compression of the pile areas will not be so great as shown.

In order to prevent the pile from becoming marred or lined by the presser foot 17, I apply a protective strip or backing material 25 to the pile surface of the fabric so that it distributes the action of the presser foot and prevents injury to the pile surface but at the same time does not hamper the operation of the sewing machine. It is believed that the tape element applied to the pile not only serves as an intermediate protective layer between the presser foot and the pile, but it avoids localizing the pressure of the foot against pile projections directly opposite the foot because there is a tendency to draw in closely adjacent pile, thus dispersing to some extent the pressure. This, of course, may be enhanced where an adhesive tape is used. The protective strip may be any of various materials such as synthetic plastic, rubber, paper, re-inforced paper, textile fabric, or glass fibers, and it may be adhesively secured to the pile, temporarily basted, or it may take the form of an endless belt over which the fabric travels.

The operation of the blind stitch sewing machine need not be described in detail since this is entirely conventional and forms no part of the present invention. The needle 20 is supported in an oscillating arm or needle holder 26 by means of a setscrew 27. The needle 20 passes in close relation to an upper guard or guide plate 28 which contains a formed aperture through which the fabric is elevated to receive the needle and thread 21 as shown in Fig. 6. The needle arm 26 is mounted on an oscillating shaft 30 which is reciprocated in timed relation to the presser foo-t 17 by other mechanism of the sewing machine. The pressure foot retracts as shown in Fig. 5 as the fabric advances and the needle 20 is elevated. When the presser foot moves upwardly as shown in Fig. 6 the needle 20 pierces the raised portion of the backing 11 to form a series of stitches 16. The fabric is controlled and fed through the sewing machine by means of two pairs of feed rollers 31, 32, 32a, 33, and 34. The upper rollers 31 and 33 are serrated to positively engage the tape and the backing of the fabric and thus guide it accurately through the sewing machine. These upper rollers 31 and 33 are also driven through shafts 35 and 36 respectively, whereas the lower rollers may be idlers.

In the event that it is desired to avoid the operations of applying and then removing the protective adhesive tape or strip 25, I also contemplate a provision of an endless belt or protective tape 40 (Fig. 7) which is carried over the lower rollers 32, 32a, and 34. It also extends around additional rollers 41, 42, and a tension roller 43 pivoted on shaft 44 and under control of compression spring 45. With the apparatus of Figure 7, it is possible to run any pile fabric, particularly deep pile fabric, through the sewing machine without injury to the pile in any way and without the necessity of previously applying and removing the protective tape. Where the pile is sufliciently deep that an expensive tape is indicated, such for example, fiberglass, the endless belt design of Figure 7 is more advantageous. This modification, however, is not necessary where a strip of heavy paper can be quickly applied and removed to the pile to prevent the undesirable blemishing.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. The method of sewing an edge binding tape to a pile fabric which comprises the steps of feeding a length of the fabric and the tape through a blind stitch sewing machine to sew the tape to the fabric by means of a series of stitches along one edge of the binding tape, simultaneously interposing a protective web between the sewing machine and the pile surface of the fabric in the zone to be stitched to thereby prevent excessive crushing of the pile along the line of the stitches, and sewing the tape to the fabric.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the protective web is adhesively secured to the pile before passing the fabric through the sewing machine and is removed from the pile after sewing.

3. The method of sewing an edge binding tape to a pile fabric without excessive crushing of the pile which comprises the steps of feeding an edge of the pile fabric 4 and the binding tape in superimposed relation through a blind stitch sewing machine having an oscillating presser foot, simultaneously feeding a protective element through the sewing machine between the pile and said presser foot, and sewing the tape to the fabric.

4. The method of claim 3 in which the protective element is an endless web.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 777,943 Witta. Dec. 20, 1904 1,115,680 Kelly Nov. 3, 1914 1,803,285 Peters Apr. 28, 1931 2,031,673 Schneider Feb. 25, 1936 2,280,468 Bowman Apr. 21, 1942 2,298,665 Wesson Oct. 13, 1942 2,355,904 Buono Aug. 15, 1944 

